Matt's Bedtime Story
by JustNobody
Summary: Alright, Matt, I'll tell you one story. One. About the Batman. How he became what he is today. What?  No, of course I don't know for sure. I'm just making all of this up. Yeah, making it up.


Nothing much to say. Review if you wish, constructive criticism is accepted heartily. (But I like praise more, to be honest) I own nothing. Duh. If I owned Batman Beyond, why would I be on a fan fiction site wasting my days away?

* * *

Squirt, shouldn't you be getting to bed? You don't need a story, Matt; you're nine and a big boy now. Wait, that's not fair, I hung out with you at Cheesy Dan's last week, didn't I? Oh, not the look…all right, ONE Batman story. No more, no less. Come on, I'll tuck you in then I'll tell you.

All cozy? Good. What do you want to know? Where he gets his weapons? Where he learns his martial arts? What happened that one time he saved Mr. Wayne? Why exactly you think I know all of this stuff, anyway? Yeah, I know, I'm hilarious. Don't deny.

….What? How do you expect me to know that stuff? I'm just a gopher for Mr. Wayne, not Batman's fraggin' biographer. Nobody knows his past. I didn't think you would care about him and his BatClan. Don't give me that look. All right, I'll tell you what I THINK happened. That's it. Taken from fact and twisted to suit my evil little bed-time story needs. Capiche? And I'll try to pack as much blood and gore in as possible. I know that's all you want anyway. Now, listen, Matt. I'll tell you about when Batman was a very, very little boy. As little as you. You're little and you know it, squirt.

Now, we all know Batman really hates criminals. That's why he beats them to a bloody pulp every night. It's because, one day, a criminal took everything from him, everything that mattered. No Matt, he didn't care about getting robbed. He took the two most important things from his life, and after that, it wasn't really a life anymore, was it? He was just a hollow shell of what he used to be. So he filled it up with hate. He filled it up with hate and power and intelligence and justice. Of course Batman's a good guy, stupid. Here, what do you think of him as? Yeah, but the thing is, that's all he is now. Even a stupid twip like you knows that he must have friends, a family, a job or something? Yeah, he did, but that was just the mask, the cover up for the real guy he is underneath…Batman. So he goes to work, goes to his job, flirts with some pretty ladies, whoops it up at parties, but it's not real. His fake, carefully constructed life is the most unrealistic thing about him. Sure, it sounds cool, but imagine how difficult it must be to go about life and pretend those scars were from extreme sports and when he pulls one of his mysterious disappearances he just forgot an appointment, really. Yeah, Matt, I know someone would never put himself through that. That's why I'm making this up.

Well, yeah, of course I know about Robin. Robin was very important to Batman-just hear me out on this one. You see, from that one moment in his life when everything changed, what he used to be was hollowed out-if you were paying attention you would have realized this-and he just kind of stopped. He devoted all of himself to being Batman. So inside, he's just a scared little boy, just like you. Yeah, yeah, keep telling yourself that. He never grew to a man emotionally. So it makes sense that his best friend would be a kid. Batman just saw some of himself in that strong, courageous little boy and took him under his wing-Ow, don't hit me! It was a good pun! So Batman decided that he wouldn't let another suffer alone again, so he took him and made him super strong and cool, and let him fight crime with him. Matt, don't even joke like that. I don't think Mom would like it if you ran away and became a superhero. Back to seriousness, twip.

Tell me something about Batman, based on what I've told you. Exactly-he was very messed up. So he needed Robin. Robin is what kept him away from the darkness, and helped him keep his balance on the thin rope between light and dark. Rob-Matt, don't be an idiot. Nobody's 100% good, especially someone as weird as Batman. Doesn't he come off as a bit of a crazy guy to you? He had to stop himself every day from just letting loose and killing everybody. Don't give me that-do you know anything about the Joker? Don't be snippity with me; a lot of people don't know that much about him. Think about it-Joker really liked Batman. He saw everything as a game, and Batman was just playing along with him. Batman was the only one who understood him. He was able to find patterns in his behavior, make sense out of his slagged up mind that no one else could. Joker said he and Batman were peas in a pod, two sides to the same coin. Yes, he was crazy, but he did have a point, in a twisted kind of way. Admit it, Batman is a nutjob. Anyway, back to what I was saying. Robin helped Batman, and stopped him from drowning in his loneliness. But Robin had to grow up, too. He couldn't be young and happy forever. He grew up and became cynical and resentful of Batman. Hey, I thought I made it clear Batman wasn't as perfect as you thought him to be, twip.

Robin hated how Batman was always telling him what to do, when to do it, and how just plain stubborn he could be. I don't know the rest, how they really grew apart-I wasn't there, remember? Besides, I think even they don't know. So Robin grew up, but not everything stayed the same. Do you know who Batgirl is? Of course you do, my little Bat-Nerd. Ow, that stuff's heavy! You have to stop stealing my weights, twip, you'll never be as buff as me. Let me keep going on, or you'll never hear the end of the story. Batgirl kind of nosed herself into Batman and Robin's life. She had no real reason for being there, no deep tragedy that shook her life. She just thought it would be fun. Yeah, you hit that nail on the head- Batman and Robin didn't like it at all. They felt she was unqualified and a wanna-be. She didn't give up, though; you have to give her that. In time she was just as good as the guys. Poor Batgirl. She didn't give up for a long time. What? Oh, yeah, your story. Sorry for space cadetting a bit. Just remembering, that's all. No, not my brief fling with Batgirl, you ugly little perv. Never mind what a perv is, back to the story.

So Robin grew up, moved away. Eventually, another little boy needed saving. Call it fate, call it Batman being a lonely old man, another Robin was thrust into the midst. He was a bit more…mild than the other one, but he fit fine. Yeah, I can see your point. I wouldn't like being a replacement either. Do you think Ti-Robin 2.0 was purely a replacement? Just a fill in for the old one? Maybe Batman will tell us. I doubt it, though.

So there you have it. A big, healthy Bat Family. They were dysfunctional, sure, and a typical family outing was busting up a crime rig, but I imagine they were happy. The Robins had found another father in Batman, Batgirl was the Team Mom and had found a refreshing purpose for her life, and Batman had the family that he thought he had lost forever, all those years ago. Stuff wasn't easy, but life was exciting enough for them. Batman even had some adult friends- you know, ones that he played poker with, had babysit his kids, and occasionally save the world once or twice. I'm talking about the Justice League, idiot. He WAS a founding member, you know. Yes, but I think getting to hang out with Superman is just a perk for all that he does. Don't tell Mom I said it, but I agree- he's a lucky guy.

But then, here comes the drama you were promised. His entire happy family was shattered apart. Don't be so morbid-nobody died. Well, nobody except Robin. Well, the guy himself didn't die, but he had a fate worse than death. Oh? If you don't think there's a faith worse than death, Matt, than you aren't old enough to know what happened to him. Besides, it's not like I know or anything. What did you say? Well, it's obvious - Robin disappeared of the face of the earth. And what happened had to be horrible enough that Batman wouldn't get another one- that Nightwing, the old Robin's new persona, never talks to Bru-Batman anymore, and that Batgirl had retired. And just like that, his happy family shattered. Batman was now a lonely old man, alone and cynical. Not long after, he hung up the cowl for good. His heart was troubling him. I know it's hard to believe that, that a huge icon like Batman, was brought down by a traitorous heart. But he's only human.

So for so a long time, Batman was gone. There was only the shell left, but there was nothing left to fill it. No, this time the hole couldn't be filled by a mask and a costume. He, for all of his independence and his strength, needed another person in his life. So the new Batman came muscling in. Don't give me that look; you know that the Tomorrow Knight would be far too old to be the Dark Knight Detective. You see, Matt, at first this guy was far from Batman. He had almost no training, he was rash, somewhat stupid, and had no idea what he was signing up for. Not anyone can be Batman, Matt, and you know it. It takes a very special person to be what he is. Yes, you're right-he was lucky enough to find three such people before, but he screwed them over, didn't he? Nobody thought the new Batman had what it took. I guess he proved them wrong.

Matt, it's getting late, I'll wrap this up. Today was the new Batman's two year anniversary, did you know that? Batman did, both the new and the old. Just imagine, the new Batman, standing on the roof of a tall building, looking over Gotham. He's probably thinking about the old Batman. How for all of his strength, he made a horrible mistake, and that was pushing away the people who loved him most. I imagine the old Batman said something lame like how 'it was for the mission'. That's all he cared about, the mission. But, the new Batman, standing tall as an icon of tomorrow and the surprises it can bring, will never make that mistake. He learned from the old man's, you see. He will keep his friends and his family close, and never make himself into that shell that the old Batman is now. He will be strong, but never sacrifice the most important things for it. What's that, Matt? Huh. That's a weird question. But saying from my objective viewpoint, I would imagine, yes. The old Batman _is_ finally happy now.


End file.
